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Frozen Out
"Frozen Out" is the fifth episode of the second season of . It first aired on February 22, 2002. Plot It's Christmas time, and everyone is happy. Because of his hero duties, Virgil is a little late to Frieda's Hanukkah party. Suddenly, the power goes out on the whole block, and he uses his electricity to pick up a radio broadcast about a knockout of the local power station. Donning his costume once again, he gets to the station and sees that it's covered in ice. Just after he melts it, he is attacked by an unknown assailant that bombards him with giant spikes of ice. Struggling to ward off the attacks, he challenges the other to show. Looking around, he sees a homeless girl, who asks him for change, and he passes her by, saying he has more important things to do. Later on, Virgil is at the mall with Daisy, and he sees the girl again. When he notices frost coating the windows near her, he excuses himself. Meanwhile, the girl admires a glass sculpture, but the storekeeper tries to discreetly shoo her out. She freaks out and trashes the mall with ice and snow. Static appears to protect everyone else, nearly pinned by a pillar of ice in doing so. In a store, the girl sees a younger girl, whose mother is clutching her protectively. This recalls memories from her own past, and she breaks down in tears, leaving the scene. By the time Static frees himself, she is gone. At a community center, Virgil and Richie are helping gather boxes of supplies while Virgil's dad and Reverend Anderson oversee things. It's heavy work, but the reverend explains that these are the only sources of support for many homeless people, even in this season. Then, Virgil realizes he's late for a party and runs out. But party plans go on hold when he gets a call from Richie—the downtown and highways have been gridlocked by snow. Static confronts the girl. The only name she gives for herself is "Permafrost". When Static says, "You have to come with me now", she sees the child-services worker in his place. She loses it and blasts him away with her powers. She flees, easily running on the frozen streets and burying Static in snow when he tries to follow. Digging himself out, Static traces the girl's last movements to a building filled with homeless people. He finds a photograph with one side torn out of it, with the remaining portion showing a little girl with her mom. He goes to the church to talk with Reverend Anderson about her. He learns her name is Maureen Connor, and she lost her mom a few years ago, her stepfather wanted nothing to do with Maureen. Before long, Maureen ended up on the streets. When he asks how he might be able to help her, the reverend advises him that she is not merely one from a group of "homeless people". She is a human being, just as they are, and any help and understanding must be given uniquely to her. Static leaves with many questions still unanswered, but the next time they meet, it's her that seeks him out, demanding her picture back. Dodging her attacks, he tries talking to her, and when he calls her by her real name, she starts to calm down. He offers to help her, and finally gains her trust after revealing that he had lost his own mom—he can understand what Maureen went through and how the emotional pain never truly goes away. She confesses to Static that when you're homeless, "people look right through you. It's like you're not even there". Maureen thought when she got the powers, things would get better. Sadly, she realized that they didn't and begins to cry, saying she is now more alone than ever. Static gives Maureen a hug, and she hugs him back in return. Maureen eventually joins the church's homeless program where she can get help. Seated with his and Richie's families, Virgil listens to Reverend Anderson's interfaith service, and he learns what Christmas is really about. Continuity * This marks the second time Static referred to someone as Lois Lane. The first time was in "The Breed", to Frieda. Background information Home video releases * Static Shock: The Complete Second Season (DVD) Production notes * When Static thaws the electric substation, he causes a machine to blow up that features reused footage from the scene of episode "World's Finest, Part III" in which one Wayne/Lex T-7 blows up another droid. Production inconsistencies * In the gymnasium, after Richie makes his "my arms are going to fall off" crack, Virgil is wearing a watch on his right hand which disappears in the next scene. * When Virgil takes out his Static uniform after Richie calls him, his white shirt is shown to have long sleeves despite the fact that it usually has short sleeves. * The static saucer vanishes from underneath Static's knees when the icicles start raining at the power station. * In the beginning of Permafrost's flashback, her two front teeth are missing, only to re-appear in the next scene. Trivia * This is the only Christmas episode not to feature Santa Claus. Instead, it focuses on the religious aspects of the holiday, making it the most religious episode of the DCAU. * It is left unexplained what exactly Omar's "Ramadan feast" is. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, moving about two weeks back on the Gregorian calendar every year. In 2001, in which this episode supposedly took place, Eid ul-Fitr fell on December 15, but in 2000, it fell on December 27, which could account for this. * It has been a year since the Big Bang. * This is the perennial morality episode, like Jimmy was about gun violence in schools, Where the Rubber Meets the Road was about dyslexia, and Sons of the Fathers was about racism. Cast Uncredited appearances * Arthur Goren * Omar Harmozi * Sean Foley * Maggie Foley * Herschel * Sharon Hawkins Quotes Category:A to Z Category:Christmas episodes Category:Static Shock episodes Category:Episodes written by Len Uhley